The Road to Innovation Starts Here

Anyone who says innovation is dead is clearly not following what is happening in the world today. Not only is innovation alive, it is thriving, and apparently it is also well funded. The question is, in this fast paced world of technological leaps and bounds, how does the small business owner stay current? How do we find a corner in a competitive marketplace filled with cheaper and faster options?

Ever since I was a child, I loved to solve problems, and it all started with games. The game I played with my dad? Triple digit multiplication tables in our heads while we sat on the porch in the summer sun. My mom and I used to play Games Magazine puzzles until we pulled our hair out. It was fun and it was challenging, but the challenge was the fun.

These days, I can't even find a Games Magazine and calculators have pretty much made mental math obsolete. Why do I bring this up? Because, challenges are the seeds of innovations. Any business or product concept that solves a current problem is bound to be a good one. Just look at this indiegogo video from TechCrunch at this years CES 2105 only a week ago. These guys are making millions from simple ideas that solve little problems people didn't even realize they had.

So what is really happening here?

UBER is practically replacing regular taxi companies. AMAZON is killing local retail stores. NETFLIX and AMAZON produced TV shows that just last night won top prizes at this years Golden Globes!!! And just as many small business owners run away and are run out of business by these technological innovations, there are thousands more popping up every day seizing their slice of the pie with a new found innovation. So how can we keep up?

Innovation Starts NOW

We cannot force change and, at the same time, resistance to change is futile. The answers to these difficult questions are all reflected in nature. Whenever there is a need, an organism fills the need. Whenever there is an imbalance, something rushes to fill the void and create the balance. So here is your task.

Take a moment today, and every day, and sit in a comfortable place with no distractions. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. As you exhale, feel yourself getting further and further away from all your daily chores and duties. Feel your business and life receding in the distance as if you are blasting off in a space ship leaving your house and your work and your life behind. As you turn around and look back at yourself now from the outside, notice what may be imbalanced and what may be lacking. Are you avoiding something that has been nagging you? Are you ignoring something that you know needs your attention?

You life and your business is like a tiny ecosystem that is intrinsically connected to the larger ecosystems that create our economy. What is not flowing and how can you get it to flow again? Take a few minutes to face your challenges and see them as opportunities for innovation. Become the wide-eyed, curious and inspired child anxious to solve the problems and win the game, and innovation is born.

Do not fool yourself into thinking that it is NOT possible or that you CANNOT be innovative. You are the seed of original thought. You can do it and you will! Just go out there and solve the problems that you face with a smile on your face. You will see! Right now, you are creating something truly magnificent.